Bedfordshire and its Dragonflies
The county of Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire and its dragonflies and damselflies are intricately connected through the county’s many rivers and lakes. It is one of UK’s smaller counties, situated in the south-east of England, but with a range of habitats that are well suited to dragonflies and damselflies it supports a variety of species including several rarities.
Odonata are creatures whose existence is centred on producing their offspring. Their life cycle is inextricably linked with water, and they are wholly dependent on it. Dragonflies lay their eggs in water, and the resulting larvae spend the majority of their lives as aquatic insects, before they eventually emerge to briefly take to the air and breed to begin the next generation.
Bedfordshire’s waters
The most significant watercourse in Bedfordshire is the River Great Ouse, traversing the north of the county, entering at Turvey at the west and leaving near Wyboston at the east. The River Ivel and River Flit flow through the south-east before joining the River Great Ouse north of Sandy. The River Lea begins in Bedfordshire, winding in a south-easterly direction before leaving the county to become a tributary to the River Thames.
There are a many lakes in the county, but these are man-made. Bedfordshire has a long history as the centre of brick making in the UK, and many lakes are former clay pits that have flooded. These are mainly in the Marson Vale area, between Kempston Hardwick and Brogborough. Further to the north of the county, lakes are often former gravel pits, some dating from the Second World War where they were used to provide construction materials for air strips.
Often these lakes are used for leisure facilities, but some are set aside as nature reserves. They make excellent habitats for Odonata provided the water has plenty of emergent vegetation for larvae to leave the water, and the surrounding area supports other insect life for adult dragonflies to feed upon.
Bedfordshire’s waters are in the main of good quality, supporting around 30 breeding species of dragonflies and damselflies.
VC30 Bedfordshire
The map of Bedfordshire included below, and the distribution maps included on the species account pages, are all based on the Watsonian vice-county boundary 30, established in 1852.
The use of these static Watsonian vice-counties remains a common practice in many biological recording schemes and allows for easier long-term comparison of records where political county boundaries may change over time.
More information on British vice-counties can be found at the Biological Records Centre, and Wikipedia.
Bedfordshire’s dragonflies
There are many important sites for Odonata in Bedfordshire:
- Priory Country ParkPriory Country Park
- Felmersham Gravel PitsFelmersham Gravel Pits
- Marston ThriftMarston Thrift
- Wyboston LakesWyboston Lakes
- Sundon Chalk QuarrySundon Chalk Quarry
- The Grange EstateThe Grange Estate
Bedfordshire and its dragonflies changes over time, and as conservation interest grows more sites are being developed, such as the Forest of Marston Vale, this is good news for any nature lover. Many other sites exist, please let me know your favourites.
The checklist
Checklists are useful indicators of species that are known to breed or that may be seen in an area, but they can be quite fluid and may change over time – sometimes quite rapidly.
Some species populations are small and very fragile, and individuals may not be recorded for several years. The Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly – Ischnura pumilio was not seen for 20 years following the demise of its only habitat at Sundon Chalk Quarry, however it has recently been seen again at the site.
Recently several species have expanded their ranges and can now be found in the region; Willow Emerald Damselfly – Chalcolestes viridis is very well established, and Variable Damselfly – Coenagion puchellum is confirmed as a breeding species, while the Norfolk Hawker – Aeshna isoceles, is also establishing itself in Bedfordshire and can be found at several sites. Most recently, Southern Migrant Hawker – Aeshna affinis, and Lesser Emperor – Anax parthenope, have had numerous reports in Bedfordshire.
I’ve added links below to the dragonflies and damselflies that are most likely to be seen within Bedfordshire’s borders. There are a few more yet to add, and migrants do occasionally venture into darkest Bedfordshire, and I will put pages up for those species as they turn up.